From idea to construction site
Forty years after the apparitions, there were numerous plans for tourist developments in Lourdes. Among these, the project for a cable car to the summit of the Grand Jer took shape in August 1898 when the engineer Alphonse Chambrelent was granted a municipal concession.
Completion of the works
The project was as ambitious as the speed of construction was impressive. In just fifteen months, the tunnels were dug, the viaducts erected, the tracks laid and the stations built. This was made possible by an ingenious service cableway used to transport stones from the nearby Petit Jer quarry, as well as by doubling the amount of dynamite used.
The funicular is up and running!
The Pic du Jer Funicular came into service in May 1900. In June, the first lucky passengers climbed into its wooden carriages; back then, there were no windows, just large openings looking out into the void. Vertigo guaranteed!
One of a kind
A few years later, the Béout and Pibeste cable cars began operating. Between 1969 and 1990, they ceased operations, leaving the Pic du Jer Funicular as the only way to reach this superb viewpoint overlooking Lourdes.
Pic du Jer Funicular
Pic du Jer funicular railway departure station in Lourdes
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Panoramic view of the Pyrenees from the Pic du Jer
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View of Lourdes from the Pic du Jer
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